Men of Marvel book 1: The Spirit of Vengance
by planer sage
Summary: When he was a child, Shinji's father tried to his son's soul to the devil. instead Shinji ended up bonded to a spirit of vengeance. Now in a war against angels, the Ghost rider rides again.
1. Chapter 1

Men of Marvel Tales to Astound

The spirit of Vengeance

There are powerful men in the world. Men who think they are untouchable. Men who think they are gods. Twelve of these men believed they ruled the world, and for all practical purposes they did. However, these men wished to transcend the world, to become true gods, and they were willing to give anything to realize that goal, including the soul of an innocent boy.

"Father, what's going on?" a four year old Shinji Ikari asked his father, who did not answer merely looking down at the boy, his own flesh and blood lying in the middle of the inverted pentagram painted in blood.

"_This boy, the thing that stole my Yui from me With his sacrifice I will be one step closer to reuniting with her, and I will convince her how much of a mistake it was to birth the useless whelp." _he thought with revile.

"Are we ready to begin?" Keele Lorenz asked the 11 men standing in a circle around the pentagram.

"We are ready" one of the cloaked and hooded men said. Slowly the figures around the pentagram began a low sonorous chant. As the chant deepened the blood that made up the unholy symbol began to glow.

"Dad helps me!" Shinji cried straining against the ropes that held him to the altar.

"We summon the dark powers of the pit, we offer you this innocent child in exchange for the power to conquer the messengers of god who seek to destroy us!" Keele incanted and the chant stopped as a pillar of unholy flame erupted at the head of the alter where Shinji was lying. Out of the fire stepped a man who looked like he was dressed in the classic devil costume for Halloween.

"I am Mephistopheles, who dares summon me?" The being demanded, he voice booming through the chamber.

"Dark one, we offer you this child in return for a gift" Keele said. The man looked down and stared the little boy in the eye, and Shinji screamed as he looked into the dark depths of the man's blazing red, pupil less eyes. Calmly Mephistopheles placed a hand over the boy's mouth to quiet him.

"The boy is pure, with a hint of loss already tingeing his young soul, very delightful" The demon said.

"Then you will be ready to deal?" Gendo asked eagerly.

"You are the boy's father yes?" the demon asked almost rhetorically.

"I am" Gendo said.

"You are willing to sell your sons soul to me?" Mephisto asked.

"Does that really need to be clarified with a response?" Gendo demanded as Shinji struggled harder at his bonds, the ropes piercing his skin.

"Very well, I will grant your request just as soon as I" Mephisto said when suddenly a golden light flooded the chamber, causing the men to cry out in pain and Mephisto to shriek.

"You worms how dare you try to cheat Mephistopheles!" The Demon shouted as the light faded showing the hand that had been gripping Shinji was burned.

"My lord, we do not know what you mean?" Keele asked.

"The boy has a warding on him. Someone who truly loves him is protecting him from me" The demon hissed.

"That should not be possible" Keele said

"Unless" one man said.

"_Yui"_ Gendo thought, a chill running up his spine.

"The boy is worthless to me, however we have made pact and I require payment" Mephisto said.

"We have made no binding agreement enforceable by ancient law" Keele said with more gusto than he was feeling.

"I was summoned here and I have been harmed by white magic, I will not leave without compensation for my trouble" The demon said.

"I say begone Keele said and barked out a harsh phrase in Latin. With a scream of rage Mephisto vanished. Shinji was trembling in tears when his father marched out of the chamber in a frothing rage.

"What of the boy?" One man asked Keele.

"Release him and put him in the hands of a caretaker. He may still be of some use to us" Keele said.

In his fiery realm Mephisto let the screams of the tormented and the damned sooth his rage.

"_Arrogant mortals, how dare they summon me, injure me and then dismiss me like some insolent child" _He seethed. He thought about the best way to get back at them when it hit him like a lightning bolt, so simple that if he was less dignified he would have palmed his forehead. Though Johnny blaze had ascended to heaven some time ago, the spirit Zarathos was still his to command by accord with the heavenly powers. Smiling Mephistopilies left his realm for the mortal world once again.

Shinji was lying in a bed in the psych ward Seele had sent him too. The doctors there had done nothing but told him he had imagined the whole thing, feeding him drugs that made him sleepy and everything fuzzy. After a week Shinji had begun to think they were right when while he was lying in his bed a familiar flame erupted in his room and the demon stepped out of it. Shinji opened his mouth to scream when a hand once again wrapped around his throat.

"Quiet boy, I cannot take your soul or kill you, but I can rip out your tongue if you make a sound" He hissed and dropped the boy on the bed.

"What do you want?" Shinji asked in a small voice.

"No doubt the men who offered you to me are trying to brainwash you into forgetting what you saw, but I assure you it was very real, and you were very close to becoming mine" Mephisto said causing Shinji to creep back into corner of his wall and bed.

"However, someone's pure love is protecting you from me, and though you would be an interesting new toy, you are hardly worth the trouble of finding a way around the charm protecting you. However, the men who tried to sell you to me are another matter. They cheated me, and no one does that" He growled and his eyes flared brimstone yellow, causing Shinji to press himself further into the wall.

That is where you come in. How would you like to get revenge on your father and the men who tried to damn you for their own betterment?" Mephisto asked.

"No, just go away!" Shinji pleaded putting his head in his arms.

"No matter, I will grant you the power to take vengeance on those who have wronged me" Mephisto said and striking like a viper Mephisto had Shinji in his grip once more, holding the boy up by a hand over his mouth and pouring the power of Zarathos into the boy, who passed out from the pain of having a force crammed into his body it was never meant to hold. Mephisto dropped the boy in a heap on the bed, chuckling darkly.

"Soon boy. Soon you will be old enough and the souls of those who cheated me will be mine he said and vanished"


	2. Chapter 2

Men of Marvel Tales to Astound

Spirit of Vengeance

Chapter 2

Shinji Started awake in the predawn light of the NERV hospital.

"_What happened?" _He wondered as he looked around then remembered getting into that giant robot and fighting that monster, but not how the battle ended.

"_I'm still alive so I guess I won"_ He wondered. As if by magic a doctor came in and examined all his vitals but gave no explanations. Telling Shinji he could change back into his cloths he left the room.

"_It's been awhile since I had that dream" _Shinji thought as he wandered around. It had been a recurring nightmare since he was little, a dream he didn't understand and that no one had ever been willing to help explain. He sat in the gigantic waiting room until the woman Misato Katsuragi came to get him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as they walked through NERV.

"Alright I guess" He said softly as they waited for the elevator. The doors slid open, and Shinji found himself being stared down at by his father with the same cold stare as from his nightmare. The doors closed leaving the boy slightly trembling. They rode the elevator up to a room where Shinji was assigned to a room which did not sit well with the Captain who decided to take him home to live with her.

"_What a strange person" _He thought as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Ever since he had met her she had been surprising. She was pretty, brave, and seemingly caring, but could also be cold, forcing him to get into the EVA.

"_And now she's taking me to her home"_ He wondered. Before they went to her apartment she took him to a convineance store for food for a party to celebrate their new cohabitation. While they were there he heard two women complaining about how unsafe the city was which stung him a little though he couldn't figure out why. After the store Misato took him up to a ridge looking over the city.

"What are we doing here?" Shinji asked.

"You'll see" Misato said looking at her watch. Suddenly alarms pealed through the air and Shinji saw buildings rise up out of the ground. The magnificent sight brought Shinji out of his gloom as he saw Tokyo Three change before his eyes.

"This is Tokyo Three, our city, and the city you saved" Misato said, and Shinji felt a small stirring of pride. Feeling much better Shinji rode with Misato to her apartment.

"You're things should have arrived here already, I just moved here myself" She explained the boxes that laid in front of the door.

"Well, come on in" She said stepping over the threshold. Shinji hesitated a minute. He had never really felt at home, even at the home of the "sensei" who had cared for him most of his life.

"Sorry for intruding" Shinji said softly standing outside the door, remembering the cold indifference and formality of his other caretakers.

"Shinji this is your home now, there's no need to be formal" Misato gently chided him

"_Is this women really willing to offer me a home?" _He wondered as he looked at her smiling face and stepped over the threshold.

"I'm home" He said feeling happiness wash through him.

"Welcome home" She said. They walked into the apartment and Misato flicked on the light to reveal a horrifying sight, a pigsty.

"Sorry, it's a little messy" Misato said.

"A little messy?" Shinji said in amazement.

"Just put the food in the fridge" She said as she went to her room to change. Shinji pulled open the fridge to find nothing but ice, snacks, and gallons of beer.

"_What kind of life does this women lead?" _He wondered to himself as Misato came back to the kitchen in a loose yellow tank top and short tight cut off jeans. Fifteen minutes later the table was filled with microwavable instant food.

"It's good even if it is instant" Misato said.

"I'm just not used to food like this" He said as he looked at the processed nightmare in front of him and was thankful for the first time in his life that his caretaker had forced him to learn how to cook.

"What! Are you finicky!" Misato demanded leaning forward and showing a good portion of her cleavage, a portion he tried not to look at.

"No mam" He said politely.

"Yes mam, no mam, are you always so formal? You're a boy, act like it" she said palming his head.

"Yes mam" He groaned.

"Well, I guess that's just the way you are" Misato said.

"I know, why don't you take a bath. Wash all your care away" She said. Shinji went into the bathroom and undressed. He opened the shower curtain to find a penguin shaking himself dry. Freaking out he ran back to the kitchen to find Misato setting at the table.

"Ms. Misato, it's a..a..a" He stuttered as the bird walked by.

"Oh, that's your other roommate. He's one of those new warm water penguins" She explained as the bird went into the second fridge.

"You might want to cover up" She said, and Shinji noticed he was completely naked. Face burning he retreated back into the bathroom and got in the bath.

"_Misato Katsuragi. She's not a bad person, but bad memories always seem to find me in the bath"_ He thought as the old nightmare flashed through his mind. After his bath he crawled into bed, trying to fall asleep but afraid of what nightmares would come.

"Shinji, are you awake. I just wanted to tell you, that you did something very brave, and very noble, hang in their" She said.

Chapter Two. I know that this was rehashing of episode, but it's to establish that Shinji is the same old damaged child from the series before the Ghost rider makes his life a real hell.


End file.
